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Copilot Landed Aircraft As Pilot Suffered Heart Attack

The pilot of a Garuda Indonesia
Airlines Boeing 737 collapsed at the controls, minutes after
take-off from Pontianak, on the island of Borneo, forcing his
copilot to take the controls and make an unassisted landing back at
the airport in Borneo, according to local news reports. None of the
107 passengers on board was hurt.

The pilot, whose name had not been released as of Monday
evening, died at a local hospital a short time later.

Earlier reports had indicated the captain suffered a fatal heart
attack as he was landing the 737. Those reports, however, were
denied by a Supadio airport staffer named Situmorang (it is a
common custom in Indonesia for people to identify themselves using
a single name). The aircraft had been bound for Jakarta.

Crew members said the captain told them earlier in the day that
he wasn't feeling well, according to Situmorang.